


Vampires of Atlas

by pixlh3art



Series: The Werewolf of Beacon [3]
Category: RWBY
Genre: .... probably ;), Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Modern with Magic, Alternate Universe - Vampire, Alternate Universe - Werewolf, Blood, F/F, Fantasy Violence, Hurt/Comfort, Kissing, Klein is the Schneeblings' dad now, M/M, Marriage Proposal, Mentions of Blood, Neck Kissing, Oh also, Oscar and Ozpin are Separate, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Plot, Political Campaigns, Press and Tabloids, Sequel, Vampire Hunter!Oscar, Vampires, also please ignore me if the high school bits are no longer accurate, and also they are literal children and will therefore not do ANYTHING nsfw, because otherwise oscar dating anyone would be real bad, but don't worry there's, but in this particular case it actually works out well, i also don't actually think this ship works in canon like at all, i am an ancient eldritch deity of age 23 and high school was several lifetimes ago, i mean look werewolves can't just tear away their clothes, it will be significantly more tame than ruby/weiss in the prior fic, it's still not an a/b/o fic, like... MAINLY plot, non-sexual nudity, okay i've made too many tags for chapter 1, whitley/oscar is gonna be a slowburn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-11
Updated: 2020-12-26
Packaged: 2021-03-10 18:48:14
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 9,951
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28001913
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pixlh3art/pseuds/pixlh3art
Summary: Welcome to Atlas.Here we are, everyone - the sequel to my prior fic,The Werewolf of Beacon,is here! If you haven't read that, please check it out first or you won't really know what's going on! I also highly recommend that you readthe second bonus chapter,as it's canon and goes into some detail about Robyn and Winter's history.With that all out of the way, *please* enjoy Vampires of Atlas!-Red
Relationships: Joanna Greenleaf/May Marigold/Fiona Thyme, Oscar Pine/Whitley Schnee, Other Relationship Tags to Be Added, Robyn Hill/Winter Schnee, Ruby Rose/Weiss Schnee
Series: The Werewolf of Beacon [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1717180
Comments: 37
Kudos: 152





	1. Press Conference

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you to SeleneLawfulGood for beta reading!

“Ready?”

Winter sighed, looking on towards the podium that awaited her at the center of the stage. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see dozens of members of the Atlesian press - newspapers, web journalists, blog writers, even a small television crew. They all eagerly awaited her statement, which was scheduled to begin approximately one minute from now.

She met the concerned lavender eyes of the woman who had spoken - the woman who had helped her organize all of this, the woman who she was making the announcement _for_ in the first place.

The woman she loved.

“Honestly? No.” Despite this, she gave a smile, pressing a chaste kiss to Robyn’s cheek. “But let’s just get it over with anyways.”

Robyn wanly smiled back as she pulled away. She gave Winter a short little nod that conveyed an immense amount of gratitude for everything that she was about to do.

“I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

  
  


“Good afternoon, everyone,” Winter said, trying not to make her tone seem as curt and measured as she was almost certain it was. “As you all know, my name is Winter Schnee. I imagine that you have at least an _idea_ of why I reached out to you all about this conference, and considering that there isn’t a giant blue snowflake behind me…” Winter gestured to the simple public park over her shoulder, in front of which this little podium had been set up for her to speak. “You may have already drawn the conclusion that I am _not_ here to make an endorsement to my father, Jacques Schnee, in his recently-announced bid for mayor of Atlas.”

The press immediately began buzzing with questions, but Winter held up a hand. She’d told them all (multiple times, in the case of some outlets) in their correspondence that she would not be taking questions until after her full statement, but that was still apparently enough of a surprising, headline-worthy declaration for them to still demand follow-ups. At her terse silence, the gathered press quieted once more.

“Likewise, my brother Whitley and my sister Weiss have given me permission to formally state on their behalf that our father does not have _their_ endorsement for mayor, either. Weiss is currently attending college in Vale, and Whitley is still a minor, so I would like to _strongly_ state -” she glared down at the gathered press with the trademark icy intensity of their family name “- that neither of them have any further comments to make regarding this matter, and will not take any questions from any media outlets in any form. I’d ask that you respect their privacy in that regard.”

The reaction of the group below was mixed. Whitley had already locked his social media accounts in preparation to be hounded by press members anyways, and Weiss didn’t _really_ have any public-facing means of contact to begin with, so hopefully the press would eventually learn to leave her siblings out of this.

“The reason that none of us are endorsing our father in his candidacy for mayor is because as of these past few months, all three of us have completely ceased correspondence with Jacques Schnee and the various associates of the Schnee mayoral campaign and the Schnee Drilling Corporation.”

That once again brought about a barrage of questions, though this one was again halted by Winter’s stern look and a hand held up for silence.

“For the sake of his privacy and ours, none of my siblings or I wish to make public any of the things that we endured at our father’s hands. But the reason that Weiss and I have cut ties, and the reason that Whitley is currently seeking legal emancipation from our parents, is because we believe that Jacques was a deeply abusive father and continues to be an awful, prejudiced man.” Winter sighed. “Again, without going into detail, he was mentally and emotionally abusive towards all of us, and was - albeit briefly - _physically_ violent towards both Weiss and myself. Both my sister and I were legal adults when we finally managed to escape him and his influence, but again, as Whitley is still a minor, he is living in a safe place and is pursuing legal emancipation from our father through the courts.”

Winter closed her eyes and took a breath, then exhaled, reopening them. “As the individuals who have unfortunately seen our father at his worst, we decided that we _cannot_ in good conscience stay silent about him and his horrible behavior after we learned of his candidacy. We felt that the people of Atlas deserved to know that we all suffered years of abuse at his hands, and we are _deeply_ frightened that he would similarly abuse any position of power granted to him - especially one with as much potential influence as the highest office in the city government. To be frank, I believe that my father would make a greedy, spiteful, self-centered mayor, as I believe that he is a greedy, spiteful, self-centered man. The city of Atlas deserves _much_ better, and come November, it is our hope and plea that the voters of Atlas instead consider another candidate.”

The press was silent now, somewhat in awe. Jacques Schnee was in several ways a rather private man, at least considering his status as a public figure. He was perfectly loquacious at the high-brow social gatherings that he often hosted and attended, and was well-known by Atlas’ wealthy and powerful. However, even _those_ people only knew the good-humored, benevolent mask that her father had spent decades crafting. His press conferences were rare, and almost always because of a faux-philanthropic new project of his, or occasionally to quell public inquiry when there was a mining disaster. The latter cases were quite rare, and while Jacques certainly hadn’t handled them _perfectly,_ even a noticeably mismanaged crisis that had cost human lives would apparently fade from public consciousness over a decade or so. Especially when one considered Jacques’ _massive_ efforts to rehabilitate his corporate image since then.

So, it would likely come as at least a _bit_ of a surprise that Winter had just declared that he was an abusive father on public television.

Winter allowed herself a small smile. Time to hand over the politics to the hopeful career politician.

“Instead...” she began, to the surprise of the gathered press below. A few of them noticeably adjusted themselves - the journalists held up their microphones a bit straighter, one of the two camera workers blinked once before returning to looking down the viewfinder. Winter gave them a moment, and continued.

“Instead, we have put our faith a younger, brighter candidate - one who the three of us genuinely believe will take much better care of this great city and _all_ its people, not just its wealthy and powerful. As the daughters and son of her opponent, my siblings and I would like to formally endorse someone better, and I think I’ll let her take things from here. Ladies and gentlemen, I’d like to introduce a current member of Atlas’ city council, who is about to announce her candidacy for mayor.”

Winter rather spontaneously decided to forgo her terse, even manner of speaking, and gave the cameras a full-on smirk.

“My fiancée, Robyn Hill.”

* * *

_“That was a lovely meal,” Winter said, happily strolling arm-in-arm with her girlfriend along a little wooden boardwalk just above the Atlas Bay. “I’m so glad you took me out - it was good to get out of the house for a while.”_

_Robyn smiled. “I figured that after having Weiss and Ruby here for New Year’s, helping Whitley with filing his emancipation stuff, and getting that press conference all organized, you could use a nice date night.”_

_“Besides, it’s an excuse to dress up,” Winter said with a grin._

_Robyn gave her an amused little look. “Babe, we_ both _dress up for our nine to five.”_

 _“Sure, but I can’t wear_ this _to a court hearing,” Winter countered, gesturing to the rather elegant evening dress she wore under her winter coat._

_It had once belonged to her mother. It was one of the countless formal garments that she’d bought for herself, worn two or three times, and then decided to dispose of - but Winter had grown fond of it. It was simple, flattering, and very unlike her mother’s usual style, which was part of the appeal. So when a maid was on her way to sending it off to some graveyard for fancy dresses, Winter had politely requested that she be allowed to keep it instead. It was one of the few finer possessions she’d liberated from her family home, and despite being too short for it for nearly five years, Winter had finally grown enough to wear it for rare outings like this one._

_“I suppose you have me there,” Robyn agreed. “It’s nice to just wear pants instead of a freakin’ pencil skirt.”_

_“I highly doubt that any of the other council members would judge you for wearing slacks more than they’re already judging you for being a ‘socialist,’ or a lesbian,” Winter said with a roll of her eyes._

_“Their definition of ‘socialist’ is middle-left at best,” Robyn snorted. “And sure, I could, but Sleet would definitely make some kinda comment about it, and I just don’t need that in my life, y’know?”_

_Winter laughed. “True, true.”_

_They continued their walk in an amicable silence for a little while, until they came upon a small segment of boardwalk that overlooked the bay. It was a squarish little sitting area, with a few benches and a pair of coin-operated binoculars for looking out into the ocean that likely hadn’t been used in years. The path they’d been walking along had been shoveled, but a fine dusting of snow remained on the sitting area, creating a tiny little slice of a winter wonderland in their otherwise heavily urban environment. To her surprise, Winter felt Robyn stop, dropping her arm for a moment._

_“Hey, uh… Winter?” Robyn asked. She rather shyly adjusted one of her shirt cuffs, the sudden nervousness plain on her face. “Would you… stay here with me a moment? There’s something I’ve been meaning to say.”_

_Winter tilted her head in confusion - what did she need to say that necessitated a full stop in their journey home like this?_

_Robyn took her hand, gently leading her to the approximate center of the little outcropping. They had the area to themselves, likely because no one would be enjoying a public bench in a place like this in early February. Winter felt herself being pulled into a rather close embrace, Robyn’s arms gently wrapping around her lower back. She laid her forearms on Robyn’s shoulders, crossing them at the wrist._

_For a moment, she was certain that Robyn was going to kiss her, but instead, she nervously cleared her throat._

_“I just… I really wanted to thank you, for supporting me with all this mayor stuff. I know you already agreed to do that_ before _your dad decided to run, but… I’m really grateful that you still wanted to stay with me, even after you knew he’d be involved.”_

 _“Robyn, of course I’d still want to support you,” Winter said, reassuring. “To hell with my father - I’m doing this for_ you.” _She smirked. “Getting to shove it in his face is just a nice little bonus.”_

_Robyn softly laughed. “Still. I just… you really mean a lot to me. We’ve been through so much - I know it’s been three years and all, but… I feel like you’re the most important person in my life. You’ve been with me for most of college, helped me when I was freaking out about my capstone project, then again with the council elections…”_

_“For the record, as much as I was happy to do that, I_ am _going to need you to return the favor,” Winter joked softly. “I expect the BAR exam to turn me into nothing less than a full-fledged disaster, and you’re going to have to live with me that whole time.”_

_“Looking forward to it,” Robyn chuckled. Her gorgeous lavender eyes grew much more solemn, even a little intense. “But… that’s what I mean. Over these last three years, you’ve always been there for me - and I know, I know, we were there for each other - but… you’re just really amazing, I’m head-over-heels in love with you, and…” she met Winter’s eyes again, hers now incredibly soft and sincere. “And I think I want to spend the rest of my life with you.”_

_Winter gasped, letting go of Robyn to cover her mouth. Suddenly, everything about this evening clicked into place - Robyn taking her out and dressing nice, paying for the entire meal, insisting that they walk home on ‘the scenic route,’ pulling Winter aside like this…_

_“So...” Robyn said shyly, stepping back a bit. She began to lower herself, ending up down on one knee. She didn’t reach for a pocket or anything - she’d apparently known better, considering that Winter had once spent an hour and a half ranting to her about how diamonds were intrinsically worthless and mined rather unethically by people like her father, not to_ mention _the fact that engagement rings weren’t a ‘long-held tradition’ like most people thought, but an extremely successful advertising campaign from the 1930s basically implanted into their culture by diamond companies…_

_Instead, Robyn just opened her arms to Winter, her smile bright and wide. For a moment, she looked like a poet of old, about to recite her masterpiece of a sonnet to the object of her affections._

_“Winter, will you marry me?”_

  
_“YES!”_

_Winter leapt into her embrace and Robyn spun her in a full circle, both laughing and shouting and tearing up a little. Their kiss felt like their first one, and yet somehow like the hundreds, maybe thousands that they’d shared before, all mixed together. When their initial shock and glee simmered into a wonderful, happy glow, Robyn started talking again._

_“I… I know it’s kinda early but I’m honestly just crazy about you - like yeah, we’re still young, you’re still in law school and whatever, but I just… I really do want to be with you for the rest of my life and I can’t_ wait _to marry you and I -”_

_Winter shut her up with a kiss._

_“I love you,” she said, when she finally pulled away. She giggled. “And you have a bit of snow on your pants.”_

_Robyn laughed brightly, still coming down from the emotional high. “Thanks,” she said, brushing it off. “And I love you too.”_

* * *

Robyn stepped out from behind the curtain, giving the small crowd a practiced wave. To Winter’s surprise, she felt her fiancée pull her in for a brief, chaste kiss, but she happily reciprocated it. She just hadn’t been expecting any display of intimacy, considering the remarkably intense nature of their announcement - but considering the fact that Winter had also _technically_ just announced their engagement on a public forum, the kiss was still perfectly fitting.

There was also _definitely_ the fact that if her father wasn’t watching live, he’d most certainly view the announcement when he learned of it. And the sheer _thought_ of her homophobic father watching his opponent pull his daughter into a gay kiss on public television brought an absolutely massive smile to her face.

“Good afternoon, everyone,” Robyn said, with a somewhat reserved tone and a solemn nod. “As my fiancée just said, my name is Robyn Hill, and I’d like to formally announce my candidacy for mayor of Atlas. As a member of the city council, I have already pushed for policies that would bring about necessary change. I’ve done my best to fight for the rights of those who have formerly gone un-heard in this great city, and if elected, I promise to continue that legacy…”

Winter zoned out a little bit as Robyn went through her prepared speech. Her own participation in the conference was basically done, unless some of the journalists that they’d invited had questions for _her,_ and not for Robyn. With a little sigh, Winter realized that that was at the very least a realistic outcome, but fortunately one they’d prepared for. Her main concern was to keep her brother and sister out of it, and she hoped that Weiss’ physical distance from the city and Whitley’s status as a minor would at least prevent them from being hounded by members of the Atlesian press. Both had also completely cut contact with their father, so hopefully the brunt of his inevitable rage about this announcement would instead fall onto her and Robyn, which, while not necessarily something she _desired,_ was certainly preferable to the alternative.

But he’d hardly left them with much of a choice. Winter still shuddered to think of what he’d actually _do_ with the office of the mayor, but there was no way they were going to just let him take it.

Not without a fight.

“Now, then,” Robyn said, causing Winter to tune back in to her speech. “Are there any questions?”

Every single hand in the crowd went up.

  
  


* * *

“Ruby, her speech began two minutes ago!” Weiss called in the vague direction of the open bathroom door.

“Sorry, sorry - just one more second!”

Weiss just rolled her eyes as her girlfriend, roommate, _and_ packmate finished brushing her teeth, semi-frantically spitting into the sink before racing out to stand next to her and watch Winter’s announcement. They had to watch via a somewhat unwieldy livestream from some middling Atlas web journal, because most of the other press members represented TV shows or newspapers that wouldn’t really reach Vale.

They watched Robyn speak before the press, outlining the general platforms of her candidacy. The major theme was the expansion of public services - better funding for the Atlas subway system, for public housing and schools, even the few hospitals in the city that got public grants. When asked about ‘where all that money was coming from,’ a question she’d definitely been anticipating, Robyn spoke through Weiss’ laptop speakers.

 _“I may not share my opponent’s experience in the financial sector, but if my time on the council has made me want to change anything about this city, it’s the way we currently obtain and distribute our funding,”_ she said. _“The city of Atlas has provided absolutely_ ludicrous _tax cuts to the ultra-wealthy for the past six years, and public funding for things like education, public housing, and even the subway have been on a steady decline for the past ten. Instead, we continue to do things like increase the budget of our already overfunded police department - which received a frankly astronomical six billion dollars from the Atlesian taxpayer last year - or try to court massive corporations that have merely dangled the possibility of moving their base of operations here to Atlas. I think that money like that would be much better spent on services that will actually benefit the average citizen.”_

A chorus of _“Miss Schnee!”_ and _“Councilwoman Hill!”_ immediately filled the air once more, until Robyn nodded at someone below the camera’s viewpoint. A man’s voice called out.

_“Miss Schnee, do your claims about your father’s ‘physical abuse’ include assault or other such crimes?”_

Winter hardened. “ _I am not a judge, and am not at liberty to assign legal terms to my father’s actions. However, I personally do not believe that anything I’ve spoken of today would constitute a crime, nor are my siblings and I accusing him of one. We merely wish to formally state that we cannot endorse his candidacy, and strongly urge the people of Atlas to vote for his opponent.”_

_“Follow-up question - are you concerned about your statement here today being considered slander?”_

Weiss winced at that - their father was a _famously_ litigious man, and she hadn’t previously considered how instantly he may sue, even without a case. 

_“I may not have taken the BAR as of yet, but while I acknowledge a the fact that a lawsuit is certainly possible, I do not believe my words here to be slanderous or defamatory in the legal sense. If my father wishes to take us to court and attempt to prove that my statements here today are demonstrably false, that’s his prerogative. Otherwise, what I’ve said here is admittedly unflattering, but nothing more.”_

“Wow,” Ruby said from beside her. “So it really _is_ only slander if it’s false.”

“Yup,” Weiss said. “He can try suing for defamation of character - and he will - but in order to make his case, he first has to _prove_ that she blatantly lied about him when she made this statement.”

“Huh,” Ruby said. “Still, Winter’s really walking a line here, huh?”

“Oh, absolutely,” Weiss said. “But I think she’s only doing this because she knows she can walk it.”

_“Councilwoman Hill!”_

Robyn nodded to the woman who’d called out, letting her ask her question. 

_“Did Jacques Schnee’s mayoral bid have anything to do with your own campaign? Did you decide to run on your fiancée’s behalf?”_

_“Absolutely not. As the robustness of my campaign platform shows, I’ve been planning to run for mayor for the past several months. Mr. Schnee’s announcement was just as much of a surprise to me and to Winter as it was to everyone else. The only reason that we’re giving this joint press conference now is that we wanted to be completely honest with the media and the people of Atlas regarding the admittedly… unusual nature of mine and my opponent’s technical association.”_

_“Do you know Jacques Schnee personally, or are you in any way associated with the Schnee campaign or the Schnee Drilling Company?”_

Robyn shook her head. _“I do not know Mr. Schnee personally, nor have I ever worked for or with the SDC in any capacity. I didn’t even meet my fiancée or either of her siblings until each had already cut contact with their father. I hope to meet Mr. Schnee for the first time at the upcoming debates, where I will provide him as much respect as I would any other candidate.”_

The questions went back to Winter. _“Miss Schnee, how do you anticipate your father will respond to these allegations?”_

Winter frowned. “ _I believe that ‘allegations’ is a rather imprecise term - I once again have not and am not alleging that my father has committed any criminal wrongdoing.”_

“Even though he totally has,” Ruby muttered under her breath. Weiss just patted her knee, understanding.

_“I merely wished to formally state that I believe he’d be a poor choice for mayor, due to my… prior experiences with him, personally. And considering that one of his platforms is that of restoring so-called ‘traditional family values,’ I believe that the Atlesian voter deserves to know that he is estranged from all three of his own children. As for his reaction, you’ll have to ask him yourself.”_

_“We’ve got time for one more question,”_ Robyn said.

A man stood up - something that people usually only did once they were called on, but Robyn seemed to just let him speak anyways.

_“Do you two seriously think that the political sphere is the best place to resolve this messy, ugly family drama?”_

There was a slight gasp from the crowd, and Weiss covered her mouth in surprise. Ruby’s ears stood straight up in shock as they both just stared at the screen, awaiting Winter and Robyn’s with bated breath.

Winter stared _daggers_ at the man, and Robyn’s usually tender lavender eyes were hard. Even with the somewhat grainy video quality, Weiss could tell that both women were _very_ unimpressed by such a disrespectful question. However, Winter’s face returned to neutral, and she bent one of the microphones on the podium closer to herself.

 _“We do not intend for this election to resolve anything beyond the matter of who becomes mayor of Atlas,”_ she said coolly. _“This is the last public press conference that I have any intention of giving - about my father or any other topic - unless I am fortunate enough to take on the role of the mayor’s wife. My fiancée also has no plans to make this upcoming election about me or my siblings. Beyond this announcement, neither of us has any intention to make the mayoral race about our ‘ugly family drama,’ as you so eloquently put it. However, I cannot speak for my father. I will only make a further public statement if absolutely necessary, but...”_

She looked directly into the camera, her calm, icy glare making even Weiss stiffen a little bit. _“I believe that if his campaign were to focus on me or my fiancée, instead of his own platform, that would say everything that the people of Atlas need to know about the strength of his policy.”_

* * *

May’s head turned at the sound of the door opening, as a _very_ tired Winter and Robyn made their way inside.

“Oven’s preheated for you, Robyn,” she called. “Fi says she can help bake if you want, once her stream is over.”

Robyn gave May a little look as she returned to her tablet. “I’m _almost_ too exhausted to stress-bake, but I could really use a fresh brownie right now,” she said. “Just nobody tell Whitley until he’s eaten dinner.”

“You’re such a mom,” May teased.

“Hey, if Snowflake over here isn’t gonna try and stop him from eating junk food before dinner, then I will.”

Winter held up her hands. “My brother has had _quite_ enough of his family telling him what to do.”

“Plus, you weren’t _exactly_ known for saving brownies until after dinner when you were in college,” Joanna observed, without looking up from her laptop that sat at the kitchen island.

“Exactly,” Robyn said, opening a cabinet in the kitchen. “Whitley can make unhealthy choices once he’s an irresponsible college student, and not before.”

Winter collapsed onto one of the chairs across from May, waiting to meet her eyes. One of May’s blue wolf ears flicked, noticing Winter’s gaze, before she returned it.

“So, how bad is it?”

 _“‘Jacques Schnee a ‘Greedy, Spiteful, Self-Centered Man,’ Says Estranged Daughter,’”_ May quoted. _“Mayoral Candidate Robyn Hill Engaged to Former Schnee Heiress.”_ She shrugged. “From what I’ve read so far, things could be worse. They aren’t exactly one hundred percent in your guys’ corner or anything, they’ve gotta be all neutral or whatever - but they’re certainly not defending your dad.”

 _“Jacques Schnee’s Children Endorse Opponent,”_ Joanna added. _“Family Matters, Family Mayors.”_

“Okay, that one’s kinda clever,” Robyn said.

“Meh, I think it’s reaching too hard,” May disagreed.

“According to her campaign staff, we’ve made quite a splash on social media,” Winter said. “Is ‘#canceljacquesschnee’ trending locally yet, Jo? They told us it might by the end of today.”

Joanna held up a finger, peering closer to her monitor. “Mmm… not yet. It’s still early though. Want me to read some of the top posts?”

“Not really,” Robyn said. “I’m sure that there’s plenty of shit that an old-ass mining billionaire has done to deserve being ‘canceled,’ but I doubt it’s anything we don’t know already.”

“Probably the homophobic company policy from ten years ago,” Winter agreed. “He managed to get more of the mining disaster stuff taken down, but that’s still relatively easy to find.”

Joanna briefly scrolled through, just checking various posts out of her own interest. “Yeah, mostly the homophobia. Well, there’s one here about him assigning workers who are racial minorities to more dangerous mines…”

Winter blinked. “I’m not sure I recall him ever doing that. It’s certainly in-character, but I don’t think even _he’d_ try something so explicit.”

“A vote’s a vote, right?” May asked.

Robyn sighed, leaning on the counter from behind her mixing bowl. “People are on our side right now because we spoke up about this first. Jacques is definitely gonna come back way, _way_ harder and try to sway public opinion against us. First he’s gonna cast doubt on my inexperience, then he’s gonna say that Winter is just digging up fake abuse allegations because he’s running for public office and she has a ‘vendetta’ to stop him or whatever...”

“I mean, that _is_ why I’m doing this, but none of it’s false and he knows it,” Winter said. “Hell, I’m being _very_ generous, all things considered.”

“Not gonna mention the whole ‘master vampire who used his supernatural abilities to try and kidnap and/or assault your younger sister’ thing, huh?” May asked. She kept her voice rather light, given the content of her sentence.

“Y’know, I’m pretty sure that claim wouldn’t make me look great,” Robyn said dryly. “Though I _am_ curious as to how he’ll manage to come to the debates without being in direct sunlight.”

Joanna shrugged. “They’re usually later at night, aren’t they? And it’s not like he can’t afford to pay for timeslots on late shows or the evening news.”

Robyn sighed, letting the wooden spoon fall out of her hand and lean against the rim of her bowl. “Damn. You’ve got a point there.”

Whitley came down the stairs, giving them all a somewhat tired wave. “Hey, I just caught up with the conference.”

They all gave him an equally tired greeting.

“We’re looking at the press reaction now,” Winter said. “Has anybody you know reached out to you about it yet?”

Whitley shrugged. “An acquaintance from school who followed me about six months ago just randomly reached out to ask how I was doing, but considering that we’ve never really spoken and that according to his profile, his dad’s a journalist... I just quietly left him on ‘read.’”

They all nodded with understanding.

“Have all of my teachers gotten back to you, Winter?”

Winter started, reaching for her phone to check her emails again. “If I recall, your Social Studies teacher was the only one we were waiting on…” she gave a little nod. “Ah, and there he is. I suppose he waited to see for himself before responding to me.”

Whitley just nodded. “Honestly, I don’t really anticipate needing extensions - I’m just not looking forward to hearing all the gossip on Monday morning. It was bad enough when he announced he was running in the first place.”

“I know, and I’m sorry,” Winter said with a regretful nod. “I told your school principal, and she _seems_ like she’s willing to help if it becomes full-on bullying or anything, but…”

“I can handle myself, it just won’t be fun,” Whitley said. He shrugged. “What they actually _know_ will all be hearsay from their parents, anyways. I’m sure it’ll blow over in a week or so.”

“Still, if you need a ride home, let me know,” May said. She gave him a quite literally wolfish grin. “I’m always ready to endorse skipping school.”

“I’ll keep it in mind, thank you,” Whitley said, rolling his eyes. He turned back towards the kitchen, summoning his most charming smile. “By the way, Robyn, my _dear,_ wonderful, soon-to-be sister-in-law… once you’re done baking them, may I perchance have a -”

“No, not until after dinner,” Robyn said automatically, pulling open the oven door. She shot him a grin. “Your flattery is improving, though.”

Whitley gave her a bow. “I learn from the best.”

“And from the worst,” Winter mused, pulling some saved blood out of their fridge for herself and for Robyn. “You really do have the best traits of _both_ sides of this election, don’t you?”  
  


Fiona made her way downstairs, and was surprised to find everyone laughing heartily. She put her hands on her hips, pouting. 

“Wait, what’d I miss?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much for reading! In a way, it hasn't really been *that* long, but it's still very strange and wonderful to be posting these characters again. I fear that I can't quite promise the robustness of my former upload speed with the holidays coming up, and the fact that I'm working on a totally original manuscript that I hope to publish! I absolutely love what's there so far and I can't *wait* to show it off to the world, but for now, it unfortunately consumes many hours of my writing motivation.
> 
> But don't worry, I'm *definitely* going to finish this fic (and with the way that things seem to be going in my head, also the fic that will probably need to happen *after* this one) eventually, so I hope you're all looking forward to the next step of this journey with me!
> 
> But for now, please let me know what you think, and thank you *very* much for reading Vampires of Atlas. I can't wait to see you again soon.
> 
> -Red


	2. Visitors and Consequences

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to SeleneLawfulGood for beta reading!

May’s ears perked up at the knock at the door.

“Hey, Jo? Were you expecting anyone today?”

Joanna looked up from her laptop and shook her head. “No. Maybe they’re here for Robyn or Winter?”  
“Maybe. How about Whitley?”

“He’s at school.” Joanna met her girlfriend’s eyes. “May, it’s probably nothing to worry about.”

May hummed. “Still…”

She slowly approached the door, hiding away her ears and tail. After checking over her shoulder to confirm that Joanna had done the same, May checked the peephole.

Her fingers also just so happened to curl around the metal baseball bat she kept in the umbrella bin. She hadn’t ever had to use it or anything, but given their status as a house full of women, _all_ of whom were one sort of mythical creature or another, May liked to keep the bat on hand. _Just_ in case somebody showed up at their door, and she couldn’t use her claws for one reason or another.

Standing on the porch was a warped image of a mustachioed man in a blue coat and a brown bowler hat with matching blue trim. He had orange hair and a kind smile, and carried a briefcase.

Keeping her guard up, May slowly swung open the door.

“Ah, hello!” the man greeted brightly. He paused a moment, getting a good look at her face. “I’m looking for Master Whitley, or perhaps Miss Schnee - do either of them happen to be home at the moment?”

May’s yellow eyes narrowed dangerously. “Who’s asking?”

The man blinked. “I am. My apologies - was I not expected?”

“No,” May said flatly. “You weren’t.”

By now, Joanna had risen from her seat at the counter, walking over behind May. She didn’t say a word, didn’t make any sudden movements or anything - but her presence over May’s shoulder nearly doubled her intimidation factor, especially thanks to Jonna’s above-average height.

“I-I see,” the man said, swallowing thickly. “I don’t suppose that either of you have any means of contacting the eldest or youngest of the Schnee siblings? I fear that I have recently… lost access to their phone numbers.”

“Why?” Joanna asked plainly. “Do they know you?”

The man let out a slight laugh. “I should hope so - I used to see them both at least daily, back when they lived in the Schnee manor.”

This did not appease either woman. May slowly and carefully drew the bat, making sure to keep it hidden behind the door.

“Okay, pal,” May said, letting her voice dip down into a lower register that still wasn’t _quite_ a wolfish growl. “I’m gonna give you about fifteen seconds to explain to me why you’re asking after those two, and if I don’t like your answer…” she trailed off on purpose, giving him a harsh little chuckle. “Well. You’d better hope I like your answer.”

The man blinked several times in a row. “Oh my. I am _so_ sorry, this all appears to be a terrible misunderstanding -”

“Spit it out, buddy,” Joanna threatened. “What the hell do you want with Winter and Whitley?”

The man held up his hands, drawing their eyes to his briefcase. “P-please, madams, I mean no ill intent. I simply wished to speak to them, and to deliver this…”

He hurriedly fumbled with his briefcase. May hadn’t really gotten a good chance to smell him, though if he were a vampire, his scent would have been strong enough for her to notice it by now. She knew that it was still very likely for Jacques or whoever he might be associated with to have humans on their retainer, though, so that didn’t rule him out just yet. However, as he opened the briefcase, a _very_ worrisome scent almost instantly assaulted her nostrils.

_Silver._

May elegantly tossed her bat from one hand to the other, jabbing the hilt directly into the man’s nose. Joanna, having noticed the scent at the exact same instant, reached forwards and physically shut the man’s briefcase before it opened more than a crack. With a hard _yank,_ she pulled it from his grip.

 _“Ah!_ I say -”

May grabbed the man by the shoulders, drawing on her lycanthropic strength to pull him off his feet and inside the threshold of the house, kicking the door shut on her way. Just as Joanna finished re-locking the briefcase and tossing it farther down the hallway, May slammed him up against the door, still holding him aloft by his collar.

The man seemed _genuinely_ shocked by their reaction, though his gaze was fixed just a tiny bit above May’s head. One of her ears flicked as she realized she’d accidentally let it out, but she ignored that for the moment. She gave the man another rough shove, drawing his terrified attention to her eyes. A small trail of blood ran down from his nose.

“Start talking. _Now.”_

* * *

Winter took off her coat with a sigh, hanging it up in the closet.

She’d had a rather tiring day, with a full load of classes _and_ yet another trial observation. She only had a few left in the semester, and after that she would be able to start actually being involved in some cases, even if in just a small way. The worst part by far, though, was the lack of communication from Robyn. She had a thirty-minute gap in her Monday classes that usually aligned with the latter half of Robyn’s lunch break at the Council, and they often texted each other during it, just to chat about how their days were going so far. Now that she was on the campaign trail, though, Robyn was a bit too busy for that little meeting. She always saw her fiancée later on at home, but it was still a bit sad to miss out on that ritual.

She froze, however, when she caught the scent of something _very_ unusual in the air.

Blood.

 _Human_ blood.

Either Whitley’s rehearsal had ended early _and_ he’d gotten something like a papercut, or...

Winter carefully and silently walked into the living room proper, and was greeted by an _incredibly_ odd sight. There was a kindly orange-haired man sitting on their couch, holding a slightly bloodied tissue up to his nose. A black briefcase sat there closed on the coffee table in front of him, and the plush armchairs on the other side of the table each contained a _very_ guilty-looking werewolf.

Winter stared at May and Joanna, whose extra pairs of ears were drooping in shame. Then she looked back at the man, whose eyes were closed as he nursed what was obviously a nosebleed. Her brows furrowed when she noticed that his nose was also bruising, and then…

Wait. Was that...

_“KLEIN?”_

He immediately perked up at her voice, smiling with an amount of delight that was almost hilariously incongruous with his current injury. With the arm that wasn’t currently holding the tissue, he offered Winter a hug.

 _“Oh,_ Miss Schnee - how wonderful it is to see you again! My _goodness,_ you’ve grown!”

Winter slowly wrapped the man that she hadn’t seen or spoken to in nearly four years into a tepid, bewildered hug. Over Klein’s shoulder, she looked over at May with wide eyes.

In response, she just gave an apologetic smile and a shrug, her blue ear flicking slightly in Klein’s direction.

“I… Klein, what are you... _how_ are you -”

“Ah,” he laughed, giving Winter a rather jovial smile. “My sincerest apologies for my appearance - Miss Marigold and Miss Greenleaf and I had just a _bit_ of a misunderstanding at the front stoop fifteen minutes or so ago. I confess, I thought I’d prepared for everything when I finally managed to discern your address, but for your roommates to be a pair of _werewolves_ was still quite shocking.”

Winter just looked back over at May and Joanna, gobsmacked.

“Uh… yeah,” May chuckled nervously. “So, funny story - he came by and knocked on the door, asking for you and Whitley. And I’m immediately worried, like, _oh,_ did that rat bastard find out where we live? So I try to find out how he knew you guys, then he opens his briefcase and I smell _silver_ and we immediately freaked out and -”

“She hit him in the face with a bat,” Joanna finished helpfully.

Winter looked back at Klein, then back at May. “You did _what?”_

“Oh, don’t be upset with her, Miss Schnee,” Klein said jovially. “Like I said, it was all a terrible misunderstanding - and given Miss Marigold’s…” he paused. “Apologies - is ‘lycanthropy’ an offensive term?”

May shook her head.

“Right. Given her lycanthropy, I understand why she reacted so violently.” He looked back over at May and Joanna. “Again, my apologies for bringing silver into your home.”

Joanna waved him off. “It’s okay - you didn’t know.”

Winter slowly sank onto the couch, hands on her temples. “Can one of you _please_ explain what’s happening right now?”

Klein sat next to her, at the opposite corner. “I suppose that the best place to begin would be after Master Whitley’s... _departure_ from the Schnee manor…”

  
  


Over the next several minutes, Klein explained to the three of them what he had been up to since late October. Apparently, once Whitley moved out, Jacques had gotten even more sour than usual. After a week of failing to locate his missing son - they were all _genuinely_ amazed that Jacques hadn’t thought to just call his high school, though none of the house staff who knew its phone number had offered it to him - he’d ordered Klein to search Whitley’s bedroom. Upon reluctantly doing so, he’d come upon Whitley’s forgotten reminders board, which held a note that listed their home address. Rather than turning it over to Jacques, Klein had hidden it, and resolved to attempt to reach out to them in one way or another. And after seeing Jacques become increasingly short-tempered upon his return from Vale, not to _mention_ the number of mysterious individuals he’d welcomed into the manor for late-night clandestine meetings with the master of the house, Klein had decided to save up a few months’ salary for the security deposit on a small two-bedroom apartment in northwestern Mantle. 

“... and after I unpacked and tendered my resignation, I came to find you all.” He shook his head with disbelief. “But even _I_ was completely unaware that his… _tendencies…_ had the origin that you two described to me.”

Winter sighed. “You told him everything, then?”

Joanna shrugged. “He saw us with our ears out, and we freaked out because of his silver. We figured we might as well tell him the rest.”

“All right,” Winter said, just trying to roll with this now and process it all later. “I’m going to get a drink - would you like anything, Klein?”

“Oh, some water would be lovely, if you’d please,” he said. “I also saw your announcement, with your fiancée - and might I extend my congratulations on your engagement.”

Winter nodded, sitting back down. “Thank you.”

“But the _main_ reason that I came is, well…” he met Winter’s eyes. “You said that Master Whitley was ‘somewhere safe’ - did you mean here?”

Winter’s brows furrowed, but she nodded back at him. “Yes. Why do you ask?”

“Well, this lovely home of yours seems rather full already,” Klein said. “And _especially_ considering what I’ve just learned…” he paused. “Is Master Whitley a vampire, like yourself?”

Winter took a long pull from her blood, shaking her head. “No, he’s human - but Weiss is a werewolf. Her roommate Turned her, and they’re dating. They were here a few weeks ago.”

Klein smiled. “Ah yes, Miss Rose and I met briefly. Well then, I’m happy for the both of them. But I figured that I would simply offer Master Whitley the spare bedroom in my new lodgings.”

Winter tilted her head, considering that.

“It _would_ be nice to have my office back,” Joanna said mildly. May immediately smacked her on the arm, which caused her to throw up her hands. “What?”

“Well, considering that Robyn and I _have_ gotten his attention, it might make sense for Whitley to live a bit farther away from all of this,” she said. She then leaned forwards, rubbing her temples. “I’ve been _trying_ to give him as normal a life as I can, but...”

Klein scooted a bit closer to her, offering her a comforting hand on the shoulder. “I understand, Miss Schnee. I’m very happy that you were able to get him out of that mansion for good, just like you and your sister, but…” he gently laughed. “I can only imagine how difficult it must be to balance everything in your life right now, _on top of_ serving as your brother’s guardian.”

“I’m not even his _legal_ guardian, not yet,” she sighed. “It’s still technically my father, and until the emancipation trial concludes, we won’t even be able to _start_ that process in the first place.” She held her cup in her hand and pressed the cold surface to her forehead, suddenly so exhausted by it all. “Ugh, it’s just been _so_ much ever since that bastard returned from Vale…”

Klein patted her shoulder. “That is precisely why I am offering to help shoulder some of that burden, Miss Schnee.” He grew quiet for a moment. “I know that I am not your family. And considering that our only association used to be my employment, I can understand why you may not want me to be a part of yours or your siblings’ lives. However, I…” he let out a soft little chuckle. “The three of you were always so wonderful to me, and you made the times that I had to deal with your father bearable. If I’m allowed, I…”

Winter looked back up at him, and was shocked to find tears welling up in Klein’s eyes.

 _“Oh,_ I don’t know,” he murmured. “I never had children of my own. For most of my life, I thought that I didn’t want any. But now, after living in that _dreadful_ mansion without any of you, I… I was just hoping that I might still be able to care for you three. I’ve grown so -”

He stopped when Winter hugged him. His eyes briefly widened with surprise, but he smiled fondly, hugging back.

“I do not believe that I’ve had the privilege of hugging you before,” he said quietly. “It did not seem like something you often did.”

“It’s one of the many, many ways I’ve changed for the better,” she murmured. She pulled back, meeting his eyes - now _hers_ were a little wet. “You were the closest thing that I had to a _real_ father, Klein. I don’t wish to speak for my siblings, but as far as _I’m_ concerned, you’re family.”

“I feel the same,” said a small voice. 

They both looked up to find Whitley, still wearing his backpack, giving them an awkward little wave.

“Uh, sorry,” he said, looking away. “I just got home, and I didn’t want to interrupt…”

“Come here,” Winter demanded, opening one arm. _“Now.”_

May watched the trio hug it out, a warm grin on her face. It was good to see the two of them reunite with the closest thing they’d had to an actual parent, and she was relieved to see that Klein’s nose probably wouldn’t bruise _too_ badly.

Still, she couldn’t help but shake one small issue.

“You’re thinking it too, aren’t you?” Joanna whispered, from beside her.

“Yeah,” May said. “If Whitley moves in with him, then they’d just be a pair of humans in that house. So then…”

Joanna nodded. “Who’ll protect them from Jacques?”

To their surprise, Whitley actually pulled out of the hug, looking at the two of them with a sheepish little smile.

“Well, um… in an at least somewhat related tangent,” he began. “I think I should tell you all about my day at school today…”

* * *

Whitley sat down at his usual desk, in the front-left corner.

He was usually one of the first people to this particular section of Geometry, considering that he had a free period just before it, and it was only a short walk from his favorite study area. He got unpacked as usual: notebook, mechanical pencil, spare box of lead just in case he needed to replace it, and his water bottle next to him on the floor. Once he’d opened to a fresh page and written his usual header, he pulled out his scroll to wait for class to begin.

“Hey, um… mind if I sit here?”

Whitley looked up from his social media feed to find a dark mop of just slightly unruly hair, belonging to a boy with tan skin and the faintest set of freckles on his cheeks. He had a striking pair of two-tone eyes. Whitley would first assume them to be hazel, but that wasn’t quite right - their forest green was complemented by an almost orange shade of gold.

“Go ahead,” Whitley told him, gesturing to the desk on his right. “You’re that new kid, right?” He remembered his teacher telling them all that they’d had a new student join Atlas High over the holiday break, and that he was either going to join their class or a section in another period, depending on scheduling. Apparently, he’d ended up here.

“What gave me away?” the boy asked, a note of sarcasm in his voice. He chuckled faintly. “Is it the fact that this is the second week of classes and I’m still asking for places to sit?”

“Perhaps,” Whitley said with amusement. “It’s quite dangerous, picking a new desk this late. You might just throw off the entire status quo.”

“I’m _pretty_ sure the world will recover,” he chuckled. He gave Whitley a little nod of a greeting. “I’m Oscar Pine.”

“Whitley,” he replied.

These days, he refrained from mentioning his last name.

“Nice to meet you,” Oscar said, unbothered by his first-name-only introduction. “How far are you guys in this unit?”

“Just starting proofs,” Whitley said. He flipped back a few pages in his notebook, showing off the dozens of neatly-drawn triangles he’d copied in from their in-class problems. “Here, this was Friday’s notes.”

Oscar nodded, taking his book to skim through. “Okay - the other class was a _bit_ behind you guys, I think, but I’m sure I’ll catch up. Thanks.”

Whitley just nodded, taking his notebook back.

By now, the rest of the class had filed in. The bell (which was really just an obnoxious, electric _beep_ ) rang, and the side conversations quieted down.

“Hello, everyone,” the teacher greeted. “I hope you had a nice weekend. You all remember the new student I said we might be getting? Well, we ended up getting him, so please say ‘hi’ to Oscar!”

Oscar froze, halfway through digging his notebook out of his rather large bag. He gave everyone a nervous grin, waving up at the rest of the class - the motion accidentally flipped the top flap of the canvas rucksack over, revealing the inside and its contents to Whitley.

“Hey, everybody,” Oscar called out. “Nice to meet you all!”

Everyone replied with a wide range of enthusiasm, making Oscar chuckle.

Whitley wasn’t looking at Oscar, though.

His eyes were instead focused on the bag’s large inner pocket, normally meant for laptops or tablets. There was an object that was _almost_ concealed by the inner pocket’s own top flap, but it had started to poke out due to the angle that Oscar’s bag was resting on the wooden floor.

And Whitley found himself staring directly at what was undeniably a cylinder made of genuine wood, and sharpened to a very fine point.

* * *

_“Whoa,_ okay…” Joanna said, looking at Whitley. “So you think that this, what, fourteen or fifteen-year-old kid at your school hunts _vampires?”_

 _“Do_ enlighten me about what other uses he may find for a sharpened wooden stake,” Whitley retorted icily. There was a short pause, and he sighed - some habits were still proving tough to break. “Sorry. But I can’t imagine he’d use it for anything _else.”_

“Just because he might be a vampire hunter doesn’t mean he’s trustworthy,” May pointed out. “Sure, he might just go for the really terrible vamps, like your dad - but he might be one of those fanatical humans who thinks that _every_ vampire is bad.”

May and Joanna shared a wordless look, remembering their girlfriend’s origins.

“That hasn’t escaped me,” Whitley said calmly. “I haven’t tried to make friends or anything, at least… not _yet._ But he made me realize something.”

Winter tilted her head, interested.

“Well… Father is a vampire. According to Weiss and Ruby, he’s a powerful one, yes - but that also comes with weaknesses, does it not?”

“That’s true,” Winter admitted. “But what’re you saying?”

“Well…” he gestured to Winter, and then to May and Joanna. “I may not have vampiric healing, or lycanthropic strength, or anything like that - but if this boy, who’s _probably_ human, is at least somewhat equipped to fight vampires, then that doesn’t mean I’m totally incapable of doing the same.”

That hung in the air for a while.

“Ruby and Weiss faced him, and they _were_ protected by their threshold,” Winter mused. She shook her head. “Still, I don’t like it. I’d feel a lot safer with you here, where we can all protect you.”

That got a nod from Joanna.

“Especially because Fi works from home,” she added. “It’d look pretty suspicious if something happened and she had to spontaneously end her stream, but at the very least, the idea of having at least one werewolf around, _just_ in case there’s some kind of fight, makes a lot of sense.”

“But as far as we know, that jackass isn’t _actually_ after Whitley,” May countered. “I mean sure, he’s the only human kid left to Turn, but this whole ‘mayor’ thing also seems to be taking up a lot of his time. Especially now that Winter and Robyn have painted massive targets on their backs.”

“Ugh, thanks for the reminder,” Winter sighed. She turned to Klein. “How… _much_ did my father try to pursue Whitley, once he knew he was gone?”

Klein let out a little sigh. “Vehemently so, at first. But, well… once my search of his room came up empty - at least, when I told him as much - he became… distracted. More concerned with his late-night visitors and interactions with his campaign staff. At times, I began to wonder if he’d genuinely just… forgotten.”

If that affected Whitley, he didn’t show it.

“Well, I suppose we can consider it,” Winter finally said. “Now that Klein knows about vampires, we can at least get a sense of whether he thinks they might have found his apartment. If a week passes and things seem clear, maybe Whitley can try living there for a little while.”

Whitley and Klein both seemed a bit excited by this prospect, though it was tempered with caution.

“I’ve got next week off,” May said. “I can chill with them for that week, maybe, as their large and suspiciously blue dog. Just in case.”

Joanna’s hand covered her own. “We’ll miss you, though…”

“Well, from what I understand, vampires aren't as much of a threat during the day, yes?” Klein asked.

He was met with a round of nods.

“So, then, perhaps Master Whitley and I can occupy the residence full-time, and have Miss Marigold come by in the late afternoons, then head back in the morning.”

“We’ve only got one car,” May laughed.

Atlas _was_ a walking city, but Klein’s apartment was a long walk, and Joanna sometimes needed the car during the day for work.

“Oh, worry not, Miss Marigold - I’ll happily drive you to and fro.” He shrugged, with a little smile. “Before working as a butler, I got my start as a chauffer.”

That seemed to placate everyone.

“Okay, well… let’s just see how things go, then,” Winter said. “And I want Fiona and Robyn to sign off before we pull the trigger on this.”

“Speaking of, when’s she due home?” Whitley asked.

“Depends - her campaign staff meetings usually just run until they’re finished…”

 _“Hey, Snowflake, I’m home!”_ came a cheery voice. They all heard the door shut, and the sound of Robyn unzipping her coat. _“I brought your favorite!”_

Winter rolled her eyes with a grin, immediately rising from the couch to greet her fiancée, May’s words echoing in her head.

They really _had_ painted targets on their backs.

* * *

The thick mahogany desk let out an audible _creak_ under the angry weight of Jacques Schnee’s elbows.

He stared down the pristine silver laptop before him, as if he could vaporize it with a glare. Vampires, as far as he knew, did not have access to such abilities, but it felt as though the sheer intensity of his silent rage might just manifest it regardless. The laptop was open to an archive of Friday’s _Atlas Eye_ story, where Jacques was currently staring at the digitized image of his eldest daughter, whom he had not seen in four years.

Out in the daylight, speaking to news broadcasters.

Telling them about _him._

 _“… to be frank, I believe that my father would make a greedy, spiteful, self-centered mayor, as I believe that he is a greedy, spiteful, self-centered man. The city of Atlas deserves_ much _better, and come November, it is our hope and plea that the voters of Atlas instead consider another candidate.”_

Jacques’ eyes narrowed even further. Who _else_ could she possibly endorse? Ironwood was on his way out, practically a lame duck already, even though his successor was nowhere close to chosen. He’d reached the end of his term limits, _and_ his popularity with the public. No one else had declared they were running so far - there were rumors about some man named Sleet from the city council, but he was the exact inverse of what anyone could call ‘charismatic.’ Maybe that ‘Clover’ fellow, a prosecutor who’d apparently served under Ironwood for his much more popular first term, but he was too young, too green, to actually challenge Jacques.

_“My fiancée, Robyn Hill.”_

He blinked several times in a row. _What_ in the hell had she just - 

A confident woman strode out from behind the curtain, breezy ponytail just slightly bouncing with her steps. She waved out to the audience, then she reached for Winter’s chin, turning her so that they were facing, and…

And then she pulled _his daughter_ into a simple, casual, and yet absolutely infuriating _kiss._

  
  


_CRASH!_

The two fledgling vampires winced at the sound of what was unmistakably a brand-new and _very_ expensive laptop being thrown across a room and crunching up into a useless pile of metal. Each jumped slightly as six, seven… _ten_ other crashing sounds echoed out from the closed door between them. It was briefly interrupted by a furious voice.

_“How DARE that little brat - who does she - does she think she can just -”_

The horrible sound of thick wood splintering under an absurd amount of strength cut off the rest of the yelling, which was then followed by a terrible, eerie silence.

The door between them slowly pulled inwards, and out walked their master, straightening the collar of the light blue dress shirt that accompanied his polished white suit.

“Tell my campaign staff that I have called a meeting, taking place here in one hour,” he said, perfectly calm. “I wish to consult with them on this recent development, and how best to proceed with it.”

“O-of course, Sir,” one man said, digging a scroll out of his pocket.

Jacques nodded, turning to the other man. “And you - clean this mess up. I’m _very_ busy, and I expect a replacement computer by morning.”

He stalked away, not even giving either man a chance to say anything more.

Jacques checked his scroll, tapping out a quick reply to the man who had informed him of this… _roadblock…_ in his campaign.

_This is your mess, Jacques. Fix it._

_-H_

He felt a wicked little smile forming on his mustachioed lips.

_Oh, don’t you worry, my friend._

_I intend to._ _  
_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much for reading!  
> I hope that the new characters here in this chapter were a fun surprise, and I'm excited for everyone to see what I have in store for them!  
> As mentioned in the tags, yes. this *is* the beginning of a bit of an Oscar/Whitley relationship. I have two small things to clarify about that right off the gate:  
> 1\. both in the canon of this fic and the larger show, these characters are minors. They will not do anything beyond a PG-13 romance for the entirety of this work.  
> 2\. Ozpin and Oscar are not in the same body. Oscar is genuinely around 15 years old, and does not share his soul with an immortal being that is slowly becoming him, or anything of the sort. He's got secrets in this fic, definitely, but none of them should concern anyone in terms of making it weird or gross for him to date another 15-year-old.
> 
> I hope that alleviates any potential concerns! I've never really consumed any Oscar/Whitley content at any point, so I have no idea how that ship generally goes in fanon or whatever, but in *this* particular fic where Whitley has had the arc he's had up until now, it fit really well in my head and I hope that others will agree as these two interact more and more.
> 
> Either way, thanks so much for reading, I hope you had a lovely holiday, and I'll see you next time!
> 
> -Red


End file.
